Child's Play Raises $495,000 For Children's Hospitals

Officials representing the Child's Play Charity, a gamer-focused toy drive organized by web-comic Penny Arcade, have announced that more than $495,000 worth of toys, games and books on the wish lists of more than 35 participating children’s hospitals have been donated as part of the gamer supported charity. Amazingly, this includes donations totaling more than $230,000 in just the last week alone.

The charity, now in its fourth year, also plans to hold its annual charity auction dinner next week, during which attendees will be able to purchase rare and one of a kind collectibles, with all proceeds going to assist those hospitals within the charity's network. Last year, the charity dinner raised an impressive $82,100, while the drive amassed over $420,000 in donations. This year's dinner is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, December 13 in Bellevue, Washington.

Among those items up for bid at the event will be a new Wii console autographed by the Nintendo of America's president and COO Reggie Fils-Aime, a speaking line in the upcoming hotly anticipated Halo 3 for the Xbox 360, a PlayStation 3 console, and an appearance in a Penny Arcade comic strip.

Additional items expected to be part of the sold out auction include original Penny Arcade artwork, tickets to the Halo 3 launch party, an Xbox 360, a Microsoft Zune ultra pack, Alien Hominid skateboards, ATI Radeon X1900XTX video cards, and Pirates of the Burning Sea treasure packs. Other items include signed Guildwars Nightfall collector editions, Seattle Seahawks Club Level tickets, a WidowPC Sting 517D Laptop, a Dell XPS 700 PC, a Dell XPS 1710 laptop, a trip to Iceland for 2 and a tour of CCP Games, and an appearance in the upcoming Penny Arcade Adventures video game.

Contributions of new games, toys and other entertainment resources for children to enjoy can made at the official Child's Play website, and those wishing to participate can select a specific hospital and browse a wish list to see what items are desired for patients. Alternatively, cash donations can be made through PayPal.

“A huge thank you to all of you who are helping improve the lives of kids this holiday season,” noted Penny Arcade’s Robert Khoo. “The generous support of the game community has allowed Child’s Play to grow each year, reaching more children in more cities around the world.”